Growing in my back yard since I bought the house in 2006 is a plant I only just learned a name for. Its Ajuga reptans, a little mint native to Europe that is used as a ground cover. My friend called it ajuga, and ajuga is used as its common name. Reading about it, I discovered the common name in USDA plant list (link) is bugle. Googling it sends you to bugleweed.
| bugleweed, Ajuga repens |
Knowing it as ground cover, I was surprised to find it mentioned as a medicinal plant.
But searching for more information on its medicinal qualities, I found I was often reading about Lycopus. For example, when I followed "bugleweed for thyroidism" I arrived at an article for Lycopus virginicus.
Lycopus is another mint genus, taller than Ajuga, with some plants native to North America.